Most of the information we have about this vegetable is courtesy of Joe Gray, a Chicago Tribune Staff Writer. Personally, we have used fennel in several recipes, but it took us a little while to actually work with it. Hopefully, this information will fast-forward your learning curve long before it did ours!
From Joe Gray...
The bulb and seeds of fennel are well-known in Mediterranean cooking, but you may not know that they generally are harvested from different varieties.
Mostly white but tinged with green, the bulbs have tightly overlapping layers that can be tough and stringy on the outside, but tender closer to the core. The texture is crisp and celerylike; the flavor is of slightly sweet licorice. Cooking tames the bulb to a more sweet and mellow flavor.
What You Should Know:
Buying: Look for large bulbs with stalks still intact, if possible, and "fluffy green fronds and a pearly sheen," writes Aliza Green in Field Guide to Produce. Storing: Wrap in plastic and keep in the refrigerator up to three days, writes Green.
Preparing: Break off the feathery fronds and save to use as an herb or garnish. Cut off the stalks where they meet the bulb. Many cooks discard them, but the stalks can be sliced into stews and soups. Or use them instead of a rack under a roast chicken or pork roast. The aroma will flavor the meat subtly. Trim the bottom of the bulb and remove and discard the outer layer if it's tough, stringy or bruised. Cut the bulb in half vertically and remove the core (though a little dense, it makes a fine nibble). Slice or dice for your recipe.
Serving and Cooking: Eat raw slices as they are or with a dip. Or add thinly slivered pieces to a green salad. Shaved with a mandoline or the wide side of a grater, fennel takes on a lighter, juicier texture, transforming it into a knockout salad, dressed in a simple vinaigrette and topped with shaved parmesan. The bulbs can be braised whole and served alongside chicken or fish. Throw sliced or diced fennel into sautes, stir-fries or soups. Or bake sliced fennel and potatoes tossed with olive oil, butter and salt, as Marcella Hazan advises in Marcella's Italian Kitchen.
Shaved Fennel with Red Onion, Olive Oil and Blood Oranges
Serves 4 to 5
1 large fennel bulb (1 to 1 1/2 pounds), shaved (4 to 5 cups)
1/2 medium red onion, also shaved (about 1/2 cup)
5 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp, salt (or to taste)
3 blood oranges, peeled, seeded and sectioned
A handful of fronds from the fennel, snipped into tiny pieces with scissors
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Combine the shaved fennel, red onion, olive oil and salt in a medium-sized bowl, and toss with a fork. Add the oranges and stir gently. Cover and chill until cold (unless the ingredients were very cold to begin with).
2. Just before serving, toss in the snipped, feathery fronds from the fennel. Top each serving with a few grinds of black pepper.
Download this recipe.
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